City Attorney on Snapdragon

After being silent for a couple of weeks over the Qualcomm Stadium renaming kerfuffle (U-T San Diego), today the City Attorney's office released a statement and memo (PDF):

Temporary Renaming of Qualcomm Stadium

The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the purported agreement signed by the Stadium Manager authorizing a temporary name change of Qualcomm Stadium. As discussed in the attached Memorandum of Law (MOL) to be posted on our website, the agreement is void and unenforceable. It violates the original contract renaming the stadium, a prior City Council Resolution and our City Charter.

The MOL discusses that the City Council has the authority to correct the error by adopting a resolution that ratifies the agreement, if it chooses to do so. Ratification would turn a void and unenforceable agreement into a legal one. As this is a matter of policy for the City Council, the City Attorney's Office makes no recommendation as to the course of action the Council should take.

The temporary name change was a creative means for Qualcomm to advertise its new product. Although the temporary name change may be insignificant to some, the way it was handled was not.

Following an open and legal process is important, particularly given this city's history. In 2009, we issued an MOL<http://docs.sandiego.gov/memooflaw/ML-2009-20.pdf> that clearly outlines what is required for a legal contract in San Diego and the consequences of not following the law.

Our lawyers work hard publicly and behind the scenes to ensure that the city does not again develop an attitude that ignores process and law.